(Left to right) Teresa Lattanzi, Dr. Debra Lehrer, Senior VP Planetree Leadership, and Susan Lucas, Director of Public Relations/Foundation at ACH, hold signs representing the one in three women who die each year in the United States due to heart disease.

On Monday, February 10th, ACH After Hours Care began providing urgent care services to Alliance and surrounding communities. The facility, located at 2461 W. State Street, Suite A, is a walk-in medical clinic which specializes in the prompt and efficient delivery of healthcare services for the treatment of minor injuries and illness.

Urgent care should be used when an individual (adult or child) is sick and his or her primary physician is not available or when the condition is not serious enough to visit the Emergency Room. ACH After Hours Care is a low cost alternative to an ER visit and offers patients immediate access to care at a local facility.

“Alliance Community Hospital is proud to offer this new option for healthcare to our city,” said Susan Lucas, Director of Public Relations/Foundation at ACH.

ACH After Hours Care will be open Monday through Friday from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with weekend hours coming soon.

“The hours and location are a great convenience to those in our community who need medical care when their primary care physician is not available,” said Lucas.

The new facility will offer medical care for conditions that require immediate medical attention, but are not life or limb threatening, including:

Minor burns and lacerations

Sprains and strains

Cough, colds and sore throats

Ear and sinus infections

Allergic and non-life threatening allergic reactions

Fever and flu

Skin irritations and rashes

Insect bites and stings

Animal bites

Broken bones (not complicated or life threatening)

Urinary tract infections, etc.

Sports and limited work physicals

Initial treatment of work-place injury (non-life threatening)

Individuals should seek treatment in the Emergency Room when their symptoms are life threatening such as: fainting or unconsciousness, difficulty breathing, chest pain, sudden accident with serious injuries, changes in vision, confusion or changes in mental status, any sudden or severe pain, uncontrolled bleeding, severe or persistent vomiting or diarrhea, coughing or vomiting blood, suicidal feelings or difficulty speaking.

“We are listening to our community,” said Lori Dipanfilo, Director of ACH After Hours Care. “It is the goal of ACH After Hours Care to provide high quality healthcare that is convenient for our community.”

As Valentine’s Day approaches, many will search for ways to show loved ones they are cared about. This year, the Alliance Community Hospital (ACH) volunteers are asking for your help to shower the community with love.

In recognition of Heart Month, the ACH volunteers will be sponsoring the “Have a Heart” food drive to benefit the Alliance Community Pantry, which assists in helping meet the needs of those struggling in our community.

“Our volunteers, who range in age from 16 to 93, open their hearts to help those in our community who are in need through a variety of activities throughout the year,” said Michele Quinn, Coordinator of Volunteer Services. “Helping others isn’t just part of what these wonderful individuals do on a daily basis, it’s part of who they are.”

While many donations are made to the pantry during the holiday season, those donations have already been used. Community donations are important throughout the year as they provide a variety of items that are typically not available to the individuals who benefit from the services of the pantry.

In 2013, 2,624 local families visited the Alliance Community Pantry a total of 18,154 times – an increase of 4% since 2012. Of those families, 9,005 individuals benefited from the food they received. Last year the pantry gave away 931,000 pounds of food – an increase of 37% since 2012.

The “Have a Heart” food drive will take place from February 1st – February 15th. Community members wishing to donate are being asked to place donations of nonperishable foods and paper products in the box inside the hospital café. Please call the Volunteer Department at 330-596-7821 or 330-596-7822 for more information.

“Where there is a need, our volunteers are there, ready to help anyway they can,” said Quinn.

For more information about Alliance Community Hospital please go to www.achosp.org or visit the hospital’s Facebook page.

(Left to right): ACH volunteers Barb Morgan and Eleanor Carver, along with Michele Quinn, Coordinator of Volunteer Services and Wendy Tabellion hold some of the food donations that have been collected thus far.

February is Heart Health Month. Contrary to popular belief, heart disease is not just a man’s disease…One in 4 women in the United States will die of heart disease, while 1 in 30 will die from breast cancer.

The symptoms of heart disease are different for women than they are for men, and many women don’t know what to watch for. The most common warning signs for women are listed below:

Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes. It may feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.The discomfort can be mild or severe, and it may come and go.

Shortness of breath, especially if it occurs during activities that don’t typically bother you

Discomfort in other areas of the upper body,including one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.

Other signs include nausea, light-headedness, or breaking out in a cold sweat.